Curette



(No Model.)

B. D. SAINT GYR, Jr.

OURBTTE.

Patented June 15, 1897.

llnrrnn Sra'rns EMELIEN D. SAINT CYR, JR., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CURE

TTE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 584,407, dated'J'une 15, 1897.

Application filed October 31, 1895.

To all whom i1; 71m concern- Be it known that I, EMELIEN D. SAINT OYR, Jr. a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ourettes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specificatron.

My invention has more especial reference to that class of curettes employed for scraping the walls of the womb and removing the fetal matter and other foreign substances there from. I

My invention has for its primary object to provide an instrument that will be capable of readily entering the neck of the womb without causing undue expansion thereof and will by its operation after insertion automatically scrape the entire interior of the womb and dislodge and expel any particles of foreign matter that may be adhering to the walls or loose therein, whereby the thorough cleansing of the parts is insured and without necessitating visual or other sensualinspection during the operation.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain features of novelty by which such objects and certain other objects here inafter appearing are attained, all as fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved instrument; and Fig. 2 is a view taken at right angles to Fig. 1, showing the instrument in use.

In carrying out my invention I employ a screw which is of the Archimedean type con sisting of a spiral band,preferably tapering toward its ends; but I do not confine my invention to this particular form of band, forit is apparent that for the purposes of my invention it is only essential that the screw be so formed as to readily enter the womb without causing undue expansion of the neck thereof; that the inserting end be of such form that the rotation of the screw cannot cause it to penetrate the flesh or produce injury, and that the band constitutingthe screw be substantially flat and its edges sufficiently acute or abrupt to be capable of dislodging any particles of matter adhering to the walls of the womb and enabling Serial No. 567,539. (No model.)

the worming action of the screw to eject them. These ends may be best accomplished by the form of my invention shown in the drawings.

1 represents the spiral band of which the screw is formed. This is so twisted that its intermediate portion will make the screw of larger diameter at its mid-length than at its ends and thus better conform to the natural dimensions of the womb-cavity. The band 1 is also preferably tapered or narrowed toward its inserting end or point, as shown at 1, and on this end is formed a button or blunt portion 2, which is small enough to enable the device being readily inserted through the neck of the womb and yet will be sufficiently blunt to prevent the action of the screw from penetrating the wall of the womb or causing painful or injurious abrasion. The end 1 of the screw is also more or less straightened out into the line of the screws axis, so as to still further facilitate its insertion, while the rear end 1 of the band 1 is also straightened out more or less into the line of the axis of the screw and is tapered or narrowed toward the operating stem or handle 3 for the purpose of relieving the grip of the neck of the womb upon this portion and providing for the free discharge of any particles of matter wormed down by the screw.

The edge of the band or strip 1, which constitutes the outer edge of the screw, is sufficiently abrupt or acute to scrape off particles of foreign matter adhering to the parts without causing injury, while the inner edge of such band or strip may be rounded, so as to cause no abrasion in the neck while entering.

The instrument in entering the womb causes but little or no distention of the neck, but when once inside the whole womb is distended to about the natural dimensions of the womb-cavity, and the walls hug the screw with great pressure and conform to its con-- tour, whatever that may be, by virtue of their natural tendency to contract upon any object entering the womb, and hence every particle of foreign substance that may be therein is brought within reach of the screw and finally wormed down and ejected.

With an instrument thus constructed it will be seen that the cavity of the womb may be readily and effectually freed from objectionable matter without the aid of dilaters or distenders and forceps, and consequently without the severe pain to the patient caused by such methods. It is also evident that my improved instrument so thoroughly traverses the entire surface of the womb-cavity that visual inspection during the operation is unnecessary.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim. as new'therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. As a new and useful article of manufacture a cure tte consisting of a flat spiral band, forming an Archimedean screw and having a button on one end and an operating-stem on the other, substantially as set forth.

2. As a new and useful article of manufacture, a curette consisting of a flat, spiral band forming an Archimedean screw and having a button on one end and an operating-stein on the other, the said band being tapered toward said button, substantially as set forth.

As a new and useful article of manufacture, a curette consisting of an Archimedean screw formed of a flat spiral band having its inserting end provided with a button and its other end provided with an operating-stem, said band being widened toward the mid length of the screw, substantially as set forth.

4. As a new and useful article of manufacture, a curette consisting of an Archimedean screw formed of a flat spiral band having its inserting end provided with a button and its other end provided with an operating-stem, said band being narrowed from a point intermediate of its ends toward both said stem and button and said screw being widened at substantially its mid-length and tapering toward both ends and said stem and button being in line with the axis of the screw, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

E. D. SAINT CYR, JR. \Vitnesses:

F. 'A. HOPKINS, EDNA 13. JonNsoN. 

